SEATTLE _ The Washington men's basketball team pulled out all the stops Sunday and packed Alaska Airlines Arena with a sellout crowd which had been waiting more than a decade for No. 12 Gonzaga to return to the building.
The Huskies said all the right things in the run-up to the reunion with their cross-state rival, believing a new direction under first-year coach Mike Hopkins and a five-game winning streak that included an upset over No. 2 Kansas last week would change the outcome in a 107-year-old series that's been dominated by the Bulldogs since 1998.
But shortly after the start, the Zags did what the Zags have done in 10 of the previous 11 games. They ran past, around and over the Huskies for a 97-70 victory that served as a reminder that Gonzaga is still the top team in the state.
Johnathan Williams pounded UW inside for 23 points and 12 rebounds while Zach Norvell Jr. added 21 points and Josh Perkins added 14 points and eight assists as Gonzaga (8-2) rebounded from last week's 88-72 loss to No. 4 Villanova.
The Huskies (7-3) countered with Noah Dickerson (17 points), David Crisp (16) and Jaylen Nowell (11), who came off the bench for the first time this season. But UW had difficulty generating points early and slowing down a Gonzaga offense that shot 50.8 percent and flushed a handful of highlight dunks.
The Zags scored first and led from start to finish in a game that got away from the Huskies early, much like the past two meetings that were decided by an average of 21.5 points.
Sam Timmins provided one of the few first-half highlights for the Huskies when he spun around a double team in the post and finished with a layup despite being fouled. His free throw cut UW's deficit to two points (13-11) with 14:18 left.
Gonzaga answered with a 10-0 run capped by a vicious dunk by sophomore forward Killian Tillie that put the Bulldogs up 23-11.
The Huskies' deficit continued to grow in large part because UW big men Hameir Wright and Timmins were saddled with foul trouble, and the Zags' trio of stars Williams, Perkins and Norvell Jr. combined for 29 points. GU led by as many as 19 points in the first half and took a 47-33 lead into the break.
Washington never got any closer in the second half and trailed by as many as 28 points.
After backup forward Rui Hachimura crammed an alley-oop dunk with 2:16 left, many UW fans headed for the exits as the Bulldogs following chanted "This is our house."
Playing its first game at Alaska Airlines Arena since 2005, Gonzaga captured its most lopsided road win over Washington.
